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Westerlund 2. This large star cluster contains about 3,000 stars and is at a distance of about 20,000 light-years. In the sky, the obect is located in the constellation Carina. Observations taken with Hubble near-infrared imaging camera (Wide Fied Camera 3) penetrate the dusty material enshrouding the stellar nursery, a dense concentration of stars in the center of the cluster. The cluster is approximately 2-million-years old and spans about 6 to 13 light-years across containing some of the Milky Way Galaxy's hottest, brightest, most massive stars.
The cluster is embedded in a star-forming region called Gum 29. The most massive cluster stars produce a barrage of ultraviolet radiation and strong winds of charged particles. This causes the material around the stars, remnants of the star formation material, to be etched away. The nebula has complex features such s filaments, pillars, ridges, valleys, and gas and dust. The brightest stars in the image are Milky Way foreground stars not associated with Westerlund 2.
Wikipedia Ref. Part 1 stl file [download]. Part 2 stl file [download]. Combined stl file [download]. |
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NGC 602. The star cluster is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, 200,000 light-years away. Young stars, about 4 million years old, near the core are emitting intense radiation eroding the cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to them. The Hubble image was taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys. It is likely that there are younger stars forming in the outskirts embedded in the dust. Wikipedia Ref. Part 1 stl file [download]. Part 2 stl file [download]. |
Gallery: Star ClustersLink to More Observations |